Life Insurance Steps to Take Before a Deployment
This is a short checklist for a narrow moment. If you are heading out on orders, five things about your coverage are worth thirty minutes before you go. None of them are complicated. All of them are much harder to fix from somewhere else.
1. Check your beneficiary designations, on every policy
The most important thirty seconds on this page.
Each policy has its own separate beneficiary record. Updating one does not update the others. Walk the whole list:
Full-time SGLI and Family SGLI. Use the SGLI Online Enrollment System, reached through milConnect.
Part-time SGLI. Different route. You complete form SGLV 8286 instead of using the online system. Members switch status over a career and keep using the method that worked last time, which is how designations go stale.
VGLI, if you carry it. Its own portal.
Any private policy. Directly with the insurer.
Confirm the names are spelled correctly, the relationships are right, and that a contingent beneficiary exists on each one. That second line gets skipped constantly and it matters. The full rules, including why the form beats both a will and a divorce decree, are in how to name your beneficiaries.
2. Confirm your SGLI amount and that TSGLI is attached
SGLI covers up to $500,000, in $50,000 increments. The premium is 5 cents per $1,000 per month plus $1.00 for Traumatic Injury Protection, which is $26.00 a month at the full amount.
Two things to verify. That you are carrying the amount you intend to carry, because it can be reduced and people forget they reduced it. And that TSGLI is in place, because it pays on a qualifying traumatic injury rather than on death, which is a materially different kind of protection.
3. Read the exclusions on any private policy
This is the deployment-specific one.
Some private policies exclude death caused by war or an act of war. Many mainstream policies no longer carry that clause, but you cannot assume yours is one of them. Separately, many policies limit death occurring on non-commercial aircraft, which matters if you will be flying military air.
Ask the question in writing, in these words: does this policy pay the full death benefit if I die while on military orders, including in a combat zone?
Do this before you go, not after. The full treatment is in policy exclusions veterans should read.
Worth knowing as you weigh it: SGLI and VGLI do not have war exclusions. That is a genuine advantage of keeping the VA programs in place while you are exposed, even if a private policy looks better on price.
4. Make sure the premiums keep getting paid
A policy that lapses while you are away is the quietest way to lose coverage.
For SGLI, premiums come out of pay automatically. Nothing to do.
For a private policy or VGLI, check how it is being paid and whether that method survives your absence. Set up automatic payment from an account that will stay funded. If someone else will be managing the household finances, make sure they know the policy exists and that the payment is on the list.
Find the grace period in your policy while you are at it, commonly around 31 days after a missed payment. Know what it is rather than discovering it.
5. Tell someone where the paperwork is
A benefit nobody knows about does not get claimed.
Before you go, put in one place, and tell your spouse or a trusted person where it is:
Every policy you hold, including SGLI, VGLI, VALife, employer coverage, and private policies
The policy numbers
The claims phone number for each insurer
Your beneficiary designations
Your DD-214, if you have separated
This is also the moment people handle powers of attorney and similar documents. That is a legal question rather than an insurance one, and your installation legal assistance office handles it at no cost. Worth an appointment before you leave.
What not to do
Do not drop SGLI to save money before a deployment. It is inexpensive, it has no war exclusion, and it covers you around the clock if you carry full-time coverage.
Do not buy a new private policy on the assumption it will cover you on orders. Verify the exclusion language first. Some carriers will also delay or decline an application from someone with imminent deployment orders, particularly to a location the State Department has flagged, so this is not a good time to be starting fresh applications.
Do not assume your Guard or Reserve status covers you the way you think. Full-time and part-time SGLI are different, and the difference is significant. Check which you carry in life insurance for Guard and Reserve members.
Frequently asked questions
Does life insurance cover death during a deployment?
SGLI and VGLI do, and they have no war exclusion. Private policies vary. Some exclude death from war or an act of war, and many no longer do. Read the exclusions section and get the insurer's answer in writing before you deploy.
How do I change my SGLI beneficiary before deploying?
Full-time SGLI uses the SGLI Online Enrollment System through milConnect. Part-time SGLI uses form SGLV 8286 instead. Each policy you hold has its own separate record, so check them all.
Should I buy extra life insurance before a deployment?
Verify the exclusion language on anything you are considering, because a policy that will not pay on orders does not solve the problem. Also note some insurers delay or decline applications from applicants with imminent deployment orders, so this is a poor time to start from scratch.
What is TSGLI?
Traumatic Injury Protection, attached to SGLI for $1.00 a month. It pays on a qualifying traumatic injury rather than on death, which is a different kind of protection worth confirming is in place.
What happens to my policy if I cannot pay premiums while deployed?
SGLI premiums come out of pay automatically. For private policies and VGLI, set up automatic payment before you go, and know the grace period, commonly around 31 days after a missed payment.
Your next step
Get the free guide, "Leaving the Service: Your Life Insurance Decision Guide". It covers the full set of coverage decisions, including the ones that come after service. Or take the quiz, Which Coverage Fits You?
Sources: VA, Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (va.gov/life-insurance/options-eligibility/sgli/); VA, Servicemembers' and Veterans' Group Life Insurance Handbook, paragraph 6.02 (benefits.va.gov/insurance/docs/SGLI-VGLI-handbook.pdf); NAIC, Consumer Military (content.naic.org/consumer/military.htm). Accessed August 15, 2026.